Pressure can be a violation of one’s space, freedom, thoughts, and feelings, rather than an obligation. Social pressure often comes from persons who suffer from a delusion of grandeur, since they are more concerned about their image in the eyes of the public than with how comfortable they are in their own skins. This is where the stupidity of Christianity cultivates the idea of the unequal yoke. Instead of working out our own identity, we appropriate the ever-shifting concepts of Whiteness. We enslave our own children by denying them the freedom of discovery and identity. Then we move from a greed for knowledge to a greed for power, setting up against our peers to put them down because of our own insecurities. There is no stepping up in class if you are classless. I navigate pressure by fulfilling obligations asked of me which do not trespass on my beliefs and principles.

I often ask, Does the history of slavery teach us anything about prejudice? My work is a continuous investigation of what causes my people to reject themselves. My vision is for us to stop being sheep and instead be shepherds of our own flocks.

The complete overview of Christopher Iron’s featured work can be found in the Kingston Biennial 2022: Pressure Catalogue, which is available for sale in the NGJ Gift Shop.